Pruning a palm can flummox gardeners, so follow this simple guide to caring for this striking plant
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| 1. Trim the leaf tips with a sharp pair of secateurs
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'The more sheltered the planting position, and the more fertile the soil, the finer the foliage looks.'
Because plants such as cordylines, palms, phormiums tree ferns and yuccas have only appeared in large numbers in the UK within the last 20 years or so, many gardeners are still quite timid about doing anything much to them at all. As a result, there are a large number of really horrid-looking specimens around screaming out for some immediate care and attention.
Chusan palm
Let's start with
Trachycarpus fortunei, the Chusan palm. These majestic palms can look fantastic in the right position. The more sheltered the planting position and the more fertile the soil, the finer the foliage looks. Like all living things though, the ageing process can take its toll.
Trim the leaf tips
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| 2. Remove the whole leaf flat to the trunk
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As each leaf ages, the edges start to become brown. This process is accelerated if the palm is forced to spend its life confined to a pot, rather than being planted directly into the ground. To start with, the leaf tips can be trimmed with a pair of kitchen scissors or a sharp pair of secateurs (photo 1, main pic above). Take care to follow the curved shape of the whole palm frond so that a natural look is still kept. This can be done several times throughout its life, as it becomes necessary, until there is so little left of the frond that it starts to look artificial.
When this stage has been reached, there is nothing else to do except to remove the whole leaf, right back to where it emerges from the trunk. Secateurs will be required for this, cutting as flat to the trunk as is possible (see photo 2). Even a couple of inches of leaf base sticking out will look untidy. Be ruthless with leaf removal. A palm tree looks ten times better with just six beautiful leaves, rather than having 20 scruffy ones. To complete the tidying process, remove any old flower spikes arching out of the centre. They are easy to clip off, cutting as far back to its base as it is possible to reach.
Remove trunk hair and leaf bases
Although tampering with the foliage has a great effect, a
Trachycarpus fortunei can be totally transformed by some nifty work on its trunk. The total removal of all of the trunk hair and leaf bases makes a truly dramatic difference. This technique works best on larger specimens. Trees less than about 6ft (1.8m) just haven't got enough old leaf bases and hair to make this operation worthwhile.
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| 3. When the leaf base has been exposed, position a knife or small pruning saw to the right of it
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Start at the base of the palm right down at ground level. The lowest leaf base has to be found by rummaging amongst the hair. Remove some of this hair by pulling it away by hand. When the leaf base has been exposed, position a sharp serrated knife or small pruning saw to the right of it (photo 3, above). Cut down vertically as far as you can. Take hold of the leaf base with your left hand and begin slicing underneath it, moving clockwise all the way around the trunk. Peel off the leaf base as you go. When you have completed the full circle around the trunk, your left hand will be holding a removed leaf base with a mass of hairy netting attached (see photo 5). This section of trunk exposed will now have a thin waxy band of cream and orange (see photo 4, below).
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| 4. Peel off the leaf base to expose a thin, waxy, cream-orange bands
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This explanation becomes much clearer when you study the photos (see left). Left-handed gardeners will need to make their own adjustments to these step-by-step instructions, probably choosing to peel back each layer in an anti-clockwise direction.
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| 6. A more groomed look that doesn't affect hardiness
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| 5. Repeat the process for each leaf base until the whole trunk has been stripped away
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Repeat the process for each leaf base until the whole trunk has been stripped away (see photo 5 above). As you work upwards, have a good quality stepladder to hand as you reach into loftier heights. A 3.6m (12ft) palm tree will take at least an hour if you've done this work before. While a complete novice will take at least two hours. Results vary with each palm tree. The distance between each circle depends on how fast the tree has been growing. Fast-growing palms can have 7.5cm (3in) wide bands and those that have grown slowly can have each band just 0.5cm (¼in) apart. The colouring also varies, sometimes revealing more pale colouring, sometimes showing various shades of orange, russet and gold through to very dark brown.
Taking off the hair does no harm
Taking off the hair does no harm whatsoever to the tree. Hardiness seems to be exactly the same with or without hair. The only difference is to the appearance, changing it from a rather chunky, inelegant palm to one that has tropical connotations and a more groomed look (see photo 6 above).
Although this work was originally done for cosmetic purposes, another good reason has also been noted recently. Apparently, Trachycarpus fortunei planted in public places such as parks or other community areas, are great targets for local vandals. By setting fire to the hair, the whole palm can be rendered an ugly blackened mess in a surprisingly short time. By taking off the hair, this drunken lark can be totally eliminated.
denotes Subscriber-only content | Thursday 21 August 2008 | Help | Glossary 
